FEW THINGS IN softball have the ability to surprise Patty Gasso anymore.
In her 28 years at Oklahoma, she has won five national championships and amassed more wins than anyone in Big 12 history. She has recruited and developed 20 first-team All-Americans, including stars like Keilani Ricketts and home run champ Jocelyn Alo. But a 2019 trip to a travel ball tournament in the Midwest would challenge the Hall of Fame coach’s idea of first impressions.
Jordy Bahl, a junior from outside Omaha, Nebraska, had been committed to the Cornhuskers since she was in the eighth grade. But the right-handed pitcher had recently reopened her recruitment, and everyone wanted a piece of her.
Gasso saw Bahl’s tape and is interested, too. Some pitchers have velocity and some have spin, but she has both. Plus, she can locate her pitches really well. One moment, she’ll touch north of 65 mph with her fastball, and the next she’ll throw a 50 mph drop ball that Gasso says “just falls off the table.”
Gasso found a spot in the parking lot at the softball complex, which is filled with out-of-state license plates. She guesses every top-25 program is here. But she steered clear of the crowd of coaches and assistants, opting for a quiet spot near the visitor’s bench to watch Bahl pitch, which began in an unusual way.
Instead of heading straight into her windup, Bahl walked methodically around the pitcher’s circle, pacing. Occasionally, she looked over at the batter with what can only be described as an unwelcoming expression on her face.
Then, only when she’s good and ready, she stepped to the rubber. Her eyes narrowed, staring straight ahead at her catcher’s mitt.
Gasso sized her up: 5-foot-7, lean, clearly no stranger to the gym. She felt a different energy emanating from her.
And, frankly, it comes across all wrong.
“You’re cocky, aren’t you?” Gasso thought to herself.
It isn’t until Bahl starts firing strikes across the plate that Gasso told herself to shut up because this is one of the best…
Source : espn
